


Those Yearning for Freedom

by lux_veritatis



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bonding between Prisoners, Captivity, Gen, Ruri and Rin are being locked up together, Ruri and Rin are capable and intelligent badasses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25375756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lux_veritatis/pseuds/lux_veritatis
Summary: When a girl sharing her face is delivered to her cell, Kurosaki Ruri experiences hope for the first time ever since her capture. Acting within the confines of a constant surveillance, Ruri and Rin are planning their escape.
Relationships: Kurosaki Ruri & Rin, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Those Yearning for Freedom

“The Third Piece.”

It was a term the hushed voices in the hallways were uttering more and more frequently, and Ruri shuddered.

“At last, we have obtained the Third Piece.”

Her guards had been whispering an alarmingly similar term to one another after her own capture, and such a wretched déjà vu could only mean one thing: Another girl had met the same fate and thus, the Professor’s despicable plan had progressed even further.

There were four ‘Pieces’, four boys sharing the same face, and four dimensions; it wasn’t all too difficult to add two and two together. Ruri had to be more alert than ever, had to refine her facade of docility to the utmost extent, and so, she mustered up an even brighter smile when the guards brought her food or a new change of clothes, at times alternated by a soft and pitiful ‘I’m so lonely’ – and mere days later, an unconscious girl sharing her face was carried to her golden cage and placed on a bed delivered shortly before.

“For the Professor to grant such a selfish wish of mine… please convey my sincerest gratitude to him.” For the first time ever since her capture, Ruri's eyes lit up as she smiled at her captors. Finally, her plans to escape were becoming more than just wishful thinking. “What’s her name?”  
  
“Rin.”  
  
“Rin…” Ruri repeated. “How beautiful...”

'Dignified, severe, cold' was the meaning of the name 'Rin'. It was a fitting name for her future ally; these were the thoughts coursing through Ruri’s mind as she sat next to the girl’s bed, waiting for her to open her eyes.

Rin's eyes were of a beautiful amber when they fluttered open at last, though all but immediately, they were filled with cautiousness, then panic as the girl sat up abruptly. Ruri recognized such behavior: She, too, hadn't wanted to be in such a vulnerable position when she had first been brought to the base of her enemy.

“ _Where_ am I?” Rin demanded, and her intelligent eyes were darting across the room, possibly looking for an escape route that didn't exist.

Ruri kept her distance and made no motion to stop the girl from backing away from her. It was like handling a wounded animal: Before one could offer any kind of help, one had to earn its trust.

“Shhh, it’s alright,” Ruri soothed. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but at least hear me out, okay?”

It was a lie, of course, for nothing was even remotely ‘alright’ about their captivity, yet with cameras and bugs in every corner, there was no way for her to speak openly.

Rin remained silent, allowing her to continue, “My name is Ruri. Kurosaki Ruri, and you’re here because you’re special. There is something _grand_ we are needed for – us and two other girls sharing our face. Until the final girl arrives, our generous hosts have to make sure that no harm can befall us.”

With a kind smile, Ruri held out her hand, “Will you allow me show you around, Rin?”

Rin frowned, and it was apparent that Ruri's words had only made her more suspicious, yet Ruri couldn't exactly help it, for it was a mask she had been forced to wear ever since her capture, a mask she couldn't afford to discard for a single moment.

It was for that reason that she met Rin's gaze with her own, desperately trying to convey what she couldn't express with words: _'If you ever want to be free again, play along.'_

“Okay,” Rin said after a painfully long moment. “But I'm warning you. Try anything weird, and I _will_ hurt you!”

“Rest assured that there will be no need for violence of any kind,” Ruri said, and her voice was deceptively cheerful. “Truth be told, I couldn't be happier that you're here. I was so _lonely_ all on my own. There are so many fun things we can do together; we can even become friends. But first things first. This is where they will put a new change of clothing every two days.”

As Ruri explained the workings of their golden cage to Rin, she noticed that – again – Rin was scanning the room for anything that would allow her to escape, that she was getting more and more frustrated upon finding nothing, and once again, Ruri couldn't help but sympathize with her, having been in the exact same position herself.

“And this is the bathroom,” she said as they had reached the final destination of Ruri's tour, closing the door behind them as though there were nothing more natural.

“As you can see, the bathtub is _huge_ , and there are scented soaps of any kind! I especially recommend the rose and vanilla scent. It is nothing short of _divine_.”

She took a deep breath before continuing, “In fact, why not take a bath right now? There is nothing better for relaxing tense muscles.”

Realizing that Rin was just about to voice her protests, Ruri quickly rushed to her side, and covered her mouth with one hand, and dug the nails of her other hand into Rin's shoulder, ignoring the way Rin squirmed and struggled as she steered them towards the bathtub and opened the faucet, relieved she hadn’t overestimated the loudness of the water streaming into the bathtub.

 _'Say yes!'_ her eyes were screaming. _'Say yes or you'll ruin everything!'_

It was then that Rin placed a hand atop the hand covering her mouth, tapping it gently and leaving Ruri with no choice but to trust her despite her heart clamoring in her chest and her fingers trembling slightly, and she wondered whether Rin had noticed.

“A bath sounds good,” Rin said, and Ruri had to prevent a relieved sigh from escaping her.

However, this had been the easiest part, the least dangerous. The real start of her gamble was now. Ruri headed for the bathroom cabinet, procuring a small notebook and a pen she had carefully hidden among makeup pencils and brushes, and hurriedly scribbled down a message.

Fully prepared to apply force to keep Rin from raising her voice, she handed Rin both utensils, and her gaze was sharp and scrutinizing.

_Act like you agree to my suggestions and keep the conversation going. If you need to cry, now is your only opportunity to do so in private. If you don’t raise your voice, you will not be heard until I have to close the faucet. Do not, under any circumstances respond verbally to what I am about to tell you. This is the only room not monitored by surveillance cameras, but there are still countless bugs. Are you prepared to do as I say in exchange for the truth?_

The die had been cast.

***

Rin had been wary of the girl who shared her face from the moment she had laid her eyes on her. The boy who had defeated her and bore such an eerie resemblance to her best friend had played mindgames with her during their entire duel, hence it wasn't unlikely that Kurosaki Ruri had been assigned to her for the same purpose.

More than anything, there was something off about her cheerful demeanor: If she truly had been captured herself, then why was she not only condoning the actions of their captors, but downright praising them?

It was only when they reached the bathroom that Rin understood, and when Ruri handed her a messily-written note, her eyes widened as the pieces fell into place: Everything, from Ruri's cheerfulness to her approval of her captors' actions and plans, was a carefully crafted mask – one whose authenticity must have taken her many weeks to convince her captors of – and with cameras and bugs in every corner, Ruri couldn't be more compromised.

Regardless, having grown up as a _Commoner_ and under the thumb of corrupt authorities, Rin wasn't one to give away her trust easily, hence she quickly wrote, _I don't trust strangers, Ruri, but you've got my attention. Tell me everything you know._

Upon reading Rin's note, Ruri nodded before responding to Rin's agreement to her offer of a bath, and her voice carried the same false enthusiasm it had carried before, “Ah, of course! If you would follow me, I have a variety of shampoo, shower gel, bath bombs, and body lotions stored in the cabinet on the far left. You may use whatever you like. As for the towels, you can find them in the closet right next to the shower.”

Ruri then made a show of lifting the individual bottles of care products with her left hand, uttering a short explanation of their specific scent and other reasons she’d recommend them to Rin before putting them down again, as her right hand scribbled down additional lines on a page already filled with multiple paragraphs, and Rin could see that her writing became faster and messier with every line. Rin could imagine why Ruri was so frantic, for if she didn’t leave the room soon, there was the very real danger of her behavior to be regarded as suspicious.

Elaborating on how smooth her skin had become thanks to the brand of rose-and-vanilla scented body lotion she had mentioned before, Ruri handed Rin a lengthy message.

_Whether it is beneficial or not for you to place your trust in me is ultimately your judgment to make. It is vital, however, for you to be aware of the following, so you may think carefully about your future actions._

_I am the reason you are here. Were it not for my subtle manipulations, you would be wasting away in solitary confinement, just as I have for more than four months. You would be spending your days in complete ignorance of the atrocities Academia has committed, of the fact that your home, too, is in grave danger, as well as just about everyone you’ve ever loved and cared about._

_There is a role I want you to play, Rin. And I want you to play your role convincingly. I have made the Professor believe that being in my company will have a good influence on you; that it will make you become as 'compliant' as I am._

_Your instructions:_

_Remain openly wary of this place, of the Professor, of the guards you encounter, but act as though you trust me, as though my words alone are the reason for you to gradually change your views. This will ensure that the Professor will not separate us, and increase the trust I’ve already gained through my own actions._

_Communicate your true thoughts in this room alone and in the form of writing, and only share memories that are too personal or trivial for the Professor to make use of in the planned invasion of your home. I trust you understand that talking about any structural weaknesses and political or societal instabilities would be an incredibly unwise thing to do._

_Lastly, keep in mind that the two of us constantly being in the only room without cameras together will expose my plan before we can even start preparing for our actual escape attempt. For that reason, most of our conversations will have to be delayed- and our being in this room at the same time will have to be strictly coincidental. Other than that, I strongly suggest that we seemingly naturally develop the routine of brushing our teeth and applying or removing our makeup at the same time every morning and evening. However, in order for this step to not pose a risk to our escape, we should only take it in a couple of days, as a part of your beginning to like and trust me._

_PS, The hairdryer provided by our captors is quite strong. I recommend you make use of this opportunity to release your bottled up emotions if the thought of doing so in my presence repulses you. As I have to leave the room now, please hide the pen and notebook again once you have written your response._

Upon reading Ruri's note, Rin's chest constricted painfully. The note may have been lacking the answers she had been looking for, yet it told her everything about how dire their situation truly was, hence when Ruri left her with a cheerful “Enjoy your bath!” it was as though Ruri hadn't spoken at all and as though Rin herself had lost her ability to form sentences.

Having undressed and taken a quick shower, Rin found that the warm water did nothing to release the tension coursing through her entire body, and she couldn't even appreciate the fact that she was sitting in a luxurious tub enveloped by a whiff of rose and vanilla like she would have never been able to in her impoverished part of the City.

Her thoughts inevitably wandered to Yuugo, who had been patrolling the streets ever since she had told him about her suspicions of being followed. Was he currently looking for her as recklessly as he always behaved in the face of danger and stress? Had he already gotten into trouble with the authorities? There was no way the immature idiot Yuugo was would get by without her being there to tell him what he should and shouldn't do, and Rin's worry about him couldn't have been greater.

After mere minutes, she gave up on trying to relax, and exiting the bathtub and drying herself, she scribbled a quick response into Ruri's notebook before hiding it as per Ruri's instructions along with the pen.

It was only when the hairdryer was running loudly that she finally allowed herself to break down.

Violent sobs racked her entire body as Rin cried for Yuugo and for herself.


End file.
